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Also read Century ka Shikar'i' Dhawan

It almost seems to everyone as if Indian cricket has given the responsibility of finding a suitable partner for Virender Sehwag to Delhi. A few months ago, a young man from the state mentioned caught the eyes of many an Indian cricket fan. His talent, class and confidence was in full witness during the Under-19 World Cup in Dhaka where he amassed more than 500 runs and ended up as the Man of the Tournament.

Cricketfundas.com's Venkat had the privilege of talking to one of India's best upcoming talents from Delhi - Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar, I'd like to start off by asking you as to how you began playing your cricket and where, and as an upcoming cricketer, who did you have as someone you looked up to and tried to emulate i.e. your role model?

I started playing the game seriously about 7 years back. My cousin used to play for a club in Delhi called Sonnet Club and by seeing him play, I gradually developed interest and took up the game. But as most youngsters in the country, I was also introduced to the game through the cricket we played in our colony and I was quite a good player there, so that motivated me to take it up seriously. The one man I admired a lot and idolized was Andy Flower, simply for his outstanding determination and general attitude towards the game he had - never shying away from challenges.

You had one of the possible dream starts to your cricketing career through the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, and we feel that these tournaments have helped in the birth of many cricketers like Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh etc, and now you find yourself among them. Can you please talk us through that tournament, where you were the run-machine for India?

Indeed, it was a special tournament for me. I played for the India Under-17 team in the Asia Cup earlier at the same venue (Dhaka) and some of my strong performances in the domestic junior competitions put me in contention for the India Under-19 team, and was selected for the Indian junior team for the first time during the World Cup. I was given a lot of chances to play, and to be honest, I grabbed it with both hands during the practice games against Australia U-19 before the tournament. It all started off with a 155* against Scotland, and ended with a disappointment against Pakistan. But on an overall scale, it was a great tournament for me individually as I got great scores for my team.

To be frank, you were relatively unheard of before the Under-19 World Cup. How much has the success of the World Cup changed you as a cricketer and as an individual?

As a player, I feel I am maturing and trying to convert the minuses into the plusses. I am trying to see myself ready to face the future challenges and trying to get consistency into my game.

After the World Cup success, you joined Y Venugopala Rao and Suresh Raina at Australia as a beneficiary of the Gavaskar-Border scholarship. How much influence do you think that trip has had on your game so far? Are you a much improved cricketer after that trip than before the World Cup?

Certainly, it has helped me in the shaping up of my game. I got an opportunity to play on different pitches and different conditions and it was a challenging task. We also had a great opportunity to interact and play against overseas players and it helped us in gaining a variety and exposure about the game. Furthermore, we had an once-in-a-life opportunity to face bowlers like Gillespie, McGrath and Lee, and also get expert batting tips from the likes of Matthew Hayden, Andy Symonds etc. Such an international exposure at an earlier stage is very helpful in the future, and I have only benefited from such an experience Down Under.

Your performances in the Ranji Trophy have meant that you have made a big and quick jump into the Domestic League. How would you personally assess your performances in the Ranji Trophy so far?

Yes, ever since I made my debut against Railways, where I made 49, I have felt comfortable in the Ranji League so far. Its been a great start to my domestic career, and I have been in good form since my return from Australia, and I am going well and really hope to do well and score many runs for my team.

Do you think the bowling standards in Under-19 cricket and First Class cricket is any different? If so, how?

Certainly yes. The bowling in the Ranji Trophy is much more difficult to face than in the Under-19s. The bowlers are more experienced as they have many wickets under the belt and in such a competition, you are playing against experience and not the bowler. Whereas in the Under-19s, the bowler is fresh, young with not much variety. It is very important as a batsman to perform well against the experienced campaigners.

What aspect of the game at this stage do you feel needs to be worked out in a long way?

Well at the moment, when you are doing well, you don't feel that there is some flaw in the game. But as a young batsman, one has to learn from every inning he plays. I feel that playing against experience is the biggest thing I need to gain at this juncture.
 

How do you mentally and in cricketing terms approach a One-Day game and a 3 day and a 4 day game?

Basically, in a longer game, I usually play the game session by session and take it on from there and well, when it comes to the one day version, I am not someone who goes there with an approach, but if its the team plan then yes, and the situation defines your approach in a 50 over game.

How different is Shikhar Dhawan from the Gautam Gambhirs, the Akash Chopras, the Wasim Jaffers of Indian Cricket ? Do you notice something in your batting that is different from their styles and approaches towards opening the batting?

Certainly yes. I feel that every player is different in his own way, and so am I from the above names, as everyone has his own style and approach towards the game. On this note I feel that its extremely important for me as a player to be myself and not get carried away by other batting styles and approaches.

Who is the most difficult bowler you have faced till date and what ha sbeen the best compliment given by any prominent cricketer to you after seeing me bat?

I don't believe in the concept of the bowlers being difficult. I feel that one needs to play the ball and not the bowlers, as even a great ball from an average bowler can get the better of you.

Shikhar, what are your short and long term goals in terms of your batting? Do you think you have put your foot on the first step towards playing for India?

I certainly hope to continue the rich form I have been in all this season, and score more runs in the short term. But, yes the long term plan will certainly be to play for my country.

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